2.7 Supporting curriculum change and development

2.7 Supporting curriculum change and development

The Inspectorate continues to support the implementation of Junior Cycle through advisory and evaluation work

As part of school self-evaluation (SSE) advisory visits, inspectors have assisted schools in applying the SSE process to the implementation of Junior Cycle. Through subject inspections and advisory work in schools, inspectors have also monitored the use of SSE in the implementation of Junior Cycle and the adoption of revised curricula in classes. Given that all junior cycle subjects are now implemented in schools, the 2021-24 strategic plan for the Inspectorate commits us to the targeted use of subject inspections and other inspections types to evaluate the effectiveness of Junior Cycle Framework implementation on a whole-school basis and in subject departments in post-primary schools.

The Inspectorate continues to support ongoing work on the review of Senior Cycle

In late 2016, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) commenced an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways, to include Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving Certificate. The Inspectorate has worked closely with the NCCA throughout this review. In particular, link inspectors for each programme and each subject specialism have contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the work of development groups as new specifications for the programmes are prepared.

The ongoing review of Senior Cycle is informed, in part, by lessons emerging from the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015). The review is considering the future form and redevelopment of the existing range of learning programmes and learning pathways available to students at Senior Cycle, and also how to improve flexibility and choice for students. The Inspectorate is uniquely positioned to offer insights from its inspection activity in relation to how the implementation of Junior Cycle is transacting in schools.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inspectorate’s policy units contributed significantly to the Department’s development of a range of guidance for schools and centres for education in the summer and autumn of 2020 to support their mediation of the curriculum in the 2020/2021 school year. We also played a leading role in the development of a suite of guidance documents to support schools and centres for education in continuing to provide learning opportunities for their pupils/students during the period of school closures from March to June 2020. These documents included guidance on curriculum and assessment, and guidance on supporting children and young people with special educational needs, and on supporting children and young people at risk of disadvantage in a remote teaching and learning context. They also included guidance to support parents and guardians while their child was learning from home.

Our policy units also contributed to a range of other Department guidance to support schools during the 2020/21 school year. These included guidance related to the safe and sustainable operation of schools, supporting pupils/students at very high risk from contracting COVID-19, guidance for the teaching of practical subjects, and contingency documents for remote teaching and learning in a COVID context.

The Inspectorate also played a key role in the development of the calculated grades process that replaced the normal Leaving Certificate examinations in 2020 59 because of COVID-19.

59 The Inspectorate also played a central role in the development and operation of the accredited grades process in 2021 which was put in place for Leaving Certificate Students in 2021.

The Inspectorate supported the ongoing programme of reform of the Primary Language Curriculum/ Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile

The period 2016-2020 was one of significant reform and redevelopment in the primary school system, although progress was impacted to a certain extent by the closure of schools in March 2020. A new Primary Language Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile (PLC/CTB) was introduced on a phased basis from September 2016. In the initial stages, teachers worked with the curriculum in junior infants to second class. Inspectors from the Department, together with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and, in the case of special schools, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), engaged with principals, school leaders and teachers as they sought to become familiar with the new curriculum and began to implement it in their classrooms.

Many schools used the SSE process to support them in familiarising themselves with the learning outcomes and in their early implementation of the PLC/CTB. Inspectors’ SSE advisory visits and ongoing evaluative activity also provided support and guidance to school leaders and teachers.

Schools’ engagement with inspectors, the support services, the NCCA and other education partners highlighted the need for enhancements to the curriculum document. In the period from 26 October until 27 November 2018, the Inspectorate undertook forty modified, one-day, incidental inspection visits with a focus on the early experiences of PLC implementation in all school contexts. The findings of these visits confirmed that, alongside some positive feedback from schools and teachers, many teachers were experiencing significant difficulties and challenges in understanding and implementing the curriculum as intended. These findings converged with those of the NCCA consultation on the draft PLC/CTB specification for third to sixth class, which took place from February to May 2018.

The Department and the NCCA responded to these findings, and similar feedback from others, with an updated curriculum document for pupils of all abilities in primary school (from junior infants to sixth class) in English-medium schools, Gaeltacht schools, Irish-medium schools and special schools. Significant and innovative changes were made to the layout, presentation and content, resulting in a more streamlined and accessible document. The NCCA also developed a comprehensive online toolkit of support materials, which is reviewed and extended periodically. In September 2019, the finalised and updated specification for junior infants to sixth class was released online for teachers and schools. Inspectors continue to support schools in their implementation of the PLC/CTB, encouraging positive and rich language learning experiences and outcomes for all pupils.

Work is ongoing to ensure that the Looking at Our School framework remains accessible and relevant

The Inspectorate initiated a review of the content of Looking at Our School 2016 (LAOS), which is ongoing at the time of writing. The aim of this review is to reflect changes within the educational landscape over the 2016-2020 period, and to future-proof the document in as far as this is possible. An internal Inspectorate consultation process has led to a number of proposed amendments. Consultation with stakeholders, which was planned for summer 2020, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now due to take place in early 2022. This consultation will enable the Inspectorate to share these proposals and to seek additional/alternative proposals. Draft proposals include alignment with recent national initiatives, including those relating to student voice, parent voice, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), digital learning, modern foreign languages, Gaeltacht education, education for sustainable development, creativity and wellbeing. In addition, it is proposed that the document be aligned with developments in Cosán.